Sunday, September 06, 2009

I am currently in a home-study at my church. Those of us who teach a class during the Sunday School hour are encouraged to take most of these classes as they are offered so that our souls are being encouraged to pursue Christ in a class-form discipline... since we don't attend the adult Bible time. This is apart from our regular participation in the regular worship service and our small groups, of course. The work is takes time, but the reading is deep and the questions are thought-provoking and prick my heart.

The current class is a book study on Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. I'm in the middle of answering a question about the power of words in relationships... and was overwhelmed by this section in the chapter:

The world of talk is a world of trouble

Nobody articulates this more powerfully than James: "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check" (James 3:2b). Who can honestly say that all his words are well-intentioned and appropriately spoken? Who has not hurt someone with words or used words for a selfish purpose? Who hasn't used words as a weapon of anger rather than an instrument of peace? Don't let yourself back away from the troubles. If you are honest, you have to admit that your relationships have been troubled by words as much as they have been helped. James calls us to admit that our words are the most powerful and consistent indicators of our need for the grace of Christ. James say that if we were without fault in this area, we would be perfect in every way. So listen to your words. Don't they expose how deep your need is for God's forgiving grace? We stain our relationships with thoughtless and evil words. We are guilty of turning this gift into a weapon. We need forgiveness and we need help.

Wow. I am guilty. I know that you are, too, because none is perfect. None is righteous apart from Christ. I have seen some very, very strong relationships broken by one wayward word. One quick quip. One unthoughtful blurb. Words cut like a knife.

I want to be better. I want to wield this weapon of my tongue in an expert way that heals instead of hurts others.

Not much... just a short post... but something that was really heavy on my heart to share with you all.